Latest news with #GeorgetownUniversity
CNN
8 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Challenge to panel that recommends no-cost preventive health care is rejected by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a task force that recommends preventive health care services that insurers must cover at no-cost, turning away the latest legal challenge to Obamacare to reach the high court. The opinion indicated that the panel's recommendations – including pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medication which vastly reduces a person's risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use – would remain in effect, some experts said. However, the case is being remanded to a lower court, where the recommendations could be challenged again. Though the appeal never threatened to take down the Affordable Care Act, it could have had a sweeping impact on millions of Americans and their access to preventive services. Keeping the cost of preventive care free makes it more likely that people will get screenings and other services that are aimed at detecting disease at an earlier stage. 'This is a big win for preventive services,' Andrew Twinamatsiko, a director of the Center for Health Policy and the Law at Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute. 'Over 150 million people have been able to access preventive services because of this provision. So this decision ensures that they can keep accessing those services without cost sharing, which is good for health and for minimizing death and disease.' The Supreme Court ruled that members of the panel are 'inferior' officers, meaning they do not need to be appointed by the president. The ruling confirms Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his predecessor in the Biden administration, had the ability to name the experts who sit on the panel. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for a 6-3 majority that included both liberal and conservative justices. The 16-member US Preventive Services Task Force, made up of volunteers, has since 1984 provided recommendations to the government about preventive services – like cancer screenings and statin medications to help reduce the risk of heart disease – that can improve Americans' health. As part of the nationwide health care law enacted 15 years ago during President Barack Obama's administration, those recommendations are used to determine which services insurers must cover without charge. At issue in the case were newer recommendations the panel made after the Affordable Care Act was enacted in March 2010. Preventive services recommended before then were not at stake, nor were certain immunizations and preventive care for women and children, which are recommended by other government entities. The more recent recommendations include lung cancer screenings for certain adults, hepatitis screenings and colorectal cancer screenings for younger adults, according to a brief submitted in the case by Public Citizen and several public health groups. Physical therapy for certain older adults to help prevent falls and counseling to help pregnant women maintain healthy body weights are also among the other newer recommendations. A leading health insurance industry group said policies won't change, at least for the time being. 'With this ruling, there are no impacts to existing coverage, and we will closely monitor the ongoing legal process,' AHIP, formerly America's Health Insurance Plans, said in a statement. The Supreme Court's ruling comes at a time when Kennedy has started exerting his authority over panels that offer health care recommendations for the public. Earlier this month, he removed all 17 members of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which guides the federal government's vaccine recommendations, and then added eight new ones. The move has sparked concerns that the new panel's recommendations could be more in line with the views of Kennedy, who has a history of vaccine skepticism. 'The big takeaway here is that the Task Force's recommendations are binding, just as the ACA's drafters intended,' Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan, posted on X. 'BUT the scheme is constitutional only because Sec Kennedy can exercise near-complete control over Task Force recommendations. A mixed bag!' The task force structure was challenged by a Texas business, Braidwood Management, that objected on religious grounds to covering certain preventive services, including PrEP. Braidwood argued that, under the Constitution, task force members must be appointed by the president with Senate confirmation. At the very least, the company said, Congress needed to affirmatively vest the appointment power in the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Before 2023, the task force members were appointed by the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ, an agency that is part of HHS. The case, on appeal from the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, created an unusual political dynamic. Though initially appealed by the Biden administration, President Donald Trump's administration has defended the task force since taking power this year – despite the president's years-long campaign to repeal the 2010 health care law. On the other side of the litigation, Braidwood was represented at the Supreme Court by Jonathan Mitchell, a veteran conservative lawyer who successfully argued against an effort in Colorado to remove Trump from that state's primary ballot during last year's election. The fight over Braidwood's religious objections to PrEP were spun off into separate proceedings. The dispute at the Supreme Court focused on the Constitution's appointments clause, which establishes the president and Senate's role in appointing and confirming officials that wield significant government power. The Trump administration argued that the task force members were 'inferior officers,' because they could be removed at-will by the HHS secretary and because the department appeared to have at least some oversight of the group's recommendations. But if that's true, Mitchell pointed out, then its members needed to be appointed by the secretary of the department, not the director of a subagency. The law is unclear on who actually appoints the board noting and notes only that the AHRQ should 'convene' the group. The Department of Justice said that, through a series of other congressional actions, the secretary effectively had the power to appoint the task force since the position oversees the AHRQ director. During the course of the litigation, then-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra 'ratified' the earlier appointments during the Biden administration, but Braidwood argued that move wasn't enough to overcome the fact that the law doesn't specifically vest the power of appointment in his office. The 5th Circuit sided with Braidwood, ruling that members of the task force are 'principal officers' who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Kennedy v. Braidwood was the fourth major appeal to reach the Supreme Court involving Obamacare since the law was enacted during Obama's first term and became a target for conservatives. In 2021, the high court ruled that conservative states challenging a key provision of the law did not have standing to sue because they were not directly harmed. The conservative court also rejected challenges to other provisions of Obamacare in 2012 and 2015.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
US supreme court rules key provision of Obamacare constitutional
The US supreme court has ruled that a key provision of 'Obamacare', formally known as the Affordable Care Act, is constitutional. The case challenged how members of an obscure but vital healthcare committee are appointed. The committee, the US Preventive Services Task Force, is a panel of 16 volunteer health experts who determine which evidence-based preventive health services private insurance companies must cover without cost for patients. The requirement is a provision of the ACA – and one of the few instances when privately insured American patients pay nothing for healthcare. Critically, the court also held that members of the task force can be removed at will by the health secretary, and that the secretary may review their recommendations before they take effect. The court issued the opinion in a 6-3 ruling. The opinion was written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and joined by John Roberts, Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. In 2020 alone, an estimated 150 million Americans benefitted from the preventive healthcare provision, according to the O'Neill Institute at the Georgetown University law center in Washington DC. Although the provision requires insurers to cover a wide range of services – from annual check-ups to cancer screenings and immunizations – the case centered on the provision of Prep, or pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. A small group of plaintiffs claimed provision of PrEP violated their religious beliefs. They were represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former solicitor general of Texas who pioneered the state's 'bounty hunter' abortion law. Their arguments were backed by Republican and conservative groups, although the specific ACA provision was defended by both the Trump and Biden administrations. Major public health groups, hospitals, disease advocacy groups and Democratic attorneys general opposed ending the provision. More details soon …
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sean Connery's glamorous granddaughter Natasha finds love with Scottish footballer following split from Gregory Peck's grandson
Sean Connery 's glamorous granddaughter Natasha has found love with American footballer Dante Polvara, who plays for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen. The stunning fashionista, 29, was previously in a relationship with Gregory Peck's grandson Harper, 26, but their romance eventually fizzled out last year. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Natasha confirmed her new relationship with the sportsman, who has been described by the team's manager as a 'good weapon'. 'I love doing life with you. Happy 25th my ❤️', she wrote, alongside a carousel of snaps showing the couple lounging on a yacht, embracing at a football match, and cuddling at home with their dog. Dante, originally from New York, joined Aberdeen FC in 2022 after playing for Georgetown University in Washington and USL side Charleston Battery. The club's location is especially poignant for Natasha, whose late grandfather was born nearby in Edinburgh and remained fiercely proud of his Scottish heritage throughout his life. Natasha is the daughter of Sean's step-son, Stephane, himself the son of the actor's second wife, Moroccan-French beauty Micheline. She grew up in the Bahamas - where Sean spent his later years - and has two sisters, Saskia and Samara. The beauty is now based in the UK and travels frequently around Europe, the Caribbean and the US. Despite his American roots, Dante's Scottish club connection adds a neat full circle to the famous family's story. Sean, who grew up in Fountainbridge and supported Scottish independence, often said he felt most at home in Scotland - even after moving abroad. The late actor, who died in 2020 aged 90, became a global star as James Bond in Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. He later won an Oscar for The Untouchables and was knighted in 2000 for services to film drama. In his later years, he was equally known for his philanthropy and cultural advocacy in Scotland - a legacy now carried on by his granddaughters. 'I love doing life with you. Happy 25th my ❤️', she wrote, alongside a carousel of snaps showing the couple cuddling at home Connery was known to be very close with his grandchildren before his death in 2020. Captioning a photo of the star at the time of his death, Natasha she wrote: 'I will never forget the day I came to see you. 'I had just turned 12... You weren't happy because my posture was terrible and I had somehow quickly developed a very nervous stutter. 'I was never like this before I was bullied. 'You insisted that we meet for lessons each day of the week. 'You would fold up a small piece of paper and place it between my teeth and give me certain phrases/sentences to practice my projection. 'You taught me how to stand up for myself and hold my head up high. You saw that I was hurting and you made it your priority to help me. I love you to the �� and back 300000x. 'Knowing you and your modesty I just hope you realize the hell of the legacy left behind.'
Hamilton Spectator
14 hours ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
A US diocese defies trends and ordains its largest class of Catholic priests in decades
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — They are a day away from becoming Catholic priests, rehearsing for their ordination Mass under the gothic cathedral's arches. It's a balmy Friday afternoon in June, and they are practicing where to stand, when to kneel. The weekend's rituals will be the culmination of six years of seminary and a lifetime of discernment . There are so many of them — more than their diocese has ordained at one time in nearly 30 years — that it's a challenge to fit the whole group in front of the altar. Their bishop likes to call them 'the 12.' Like the 12 apostles of Jesus, their number has become a mantra and a prayer. It offers hope there can still be joy and renewal in a church riven by division, crises and abuse. Among the group there are engineers, a tech company founder and two future military chaplains. They range in age from 28 to 56. Most are U.S.-born, but some trace their roots to faraway countries with a strong Catholic presence: Cameroon, Mexico, Peru, Haiti. They are entering the priesthood at an exciting time, just as the first U.S.-born pope begins his papacy. Yet, there remains an acute shortage of clergy like them. In the U.S., the number of priests has declined by more than 40% since 1970, according to CARA, a research center affiliated with Georgetown University. During their final year of seminary, these 12 men have served as transitional deacons, offering baptisms, homilies and promising to live in obedience and celibacy. 'We've already made the promises that are, I guess, 'the scariest,'' said the Rev. Ricky Malebranche, one of the ordinands. Soon they will be entrusted with more sacraments. As ordained priests, they will work at parishes around northern Virginia, with the ability to consecrate the Eucharist, hear confessions and anoint the sick. For now, they shuffle side to side until they can fit in a row. Carefully they lie down to practice the act of prostration — arguably the most dramatic moment during an ordination ceremony. Elbows bent, hands cradling their heads, the men press their faces to the cold, marble floor. It's a position of vulnerability that signals absolute surrender. 'We're laying before the Lord,' the Rev. Mike Sampson, an ordinand, explained before the rehearsal. 'We're laying our lives down.' Searching for something more While neighboring dioceses have shuttered parishes and face dire budget shortfalls , the Diocese of Arlington is opening new churches. Its finances are solid. This year's class of new priests is the second largest in the diocese's 50-year history. The reasons behind that success 'are a little bit mysterious,' said the Rev. Michael Isenberg, the diocese's outgoing vocations director. He points to one factor helping the recruiting pool: vibrant parishes, full of young professionals drawn to jobs around Washington, D.C. Sampson, 42, was a government lawyer and raised a Protestant before he was baptized as a Catholic in 2013. Six years later, he enrolled in seminary to become a priest. The Rev. Tim Banach, 31, worked as a consultant in the same office complex as Sampson. 'I enjoyed the work I was doing, but there was something more that I desired.' 'I had the dream job,' said the Rev. Alfredo Tuesta, 40, who earned a doctorate in engineering and was working at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory when he felt called to the priesthood. 'I had the job that I had trained many years to achieve — and it wasn't enough.' At a Sunday family dinner two weeks before ordination, Malebranche's father, Jacques, talked up these '12 great guys.' 'This kid already had two master's degrees,' he said, pointing to his son Ricky, 37, who worked as a counselor and coach at a Catholic high school before seminary. 'They had good lives. When they say they received a call, they mean it,' he said. 'They gave up a lot, and this is not easy.' A higher barrier to entry Prospective priests undergo a rigorous screening process. 'This is going to sound crazy, but they're normal,' said the Rev. Donald J. Planty Jr., who mentored several of this year's ordinands. 'They can talk to anyone.' In the wake of the clergy sex-abuse crisis , there is a greater emphasis on applicants' psychological health and emotional well-being. They go before an admissions board that includes women and laypeople, and as ordinands, meet with abuse survivors. They ultimately answer to Bishop Michael Burbidge, the diocese's avuncular prelate. 'A thing that has changed for the positive in the church is that bishops really know their men,' said Burbidge, who calls, texts and meets with seminarians regularly. 'When I was in seminary, there was no expectation that you would know the bishop.' Politically and theologically, young U.S. priests are more likely to identify as conservative or moderate than their clerical elders who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a 2023 report from the Catholic Project at Catholic University. For these men in Virginia, the rightward tilt of the U.S. Catholic Church is not a deciding factor in their priesthoods. They have pledged, though, to uphold the church's teachings, which remain conservative on issues such as gender identity, sexual orientation, contraception and abortion. 'I look at the young adults in our parishes, growing up in a world where in many ways the sacred has been removed,' Burbidge said. 'They're looking for something more. 'Give me beauty. Give me truth. Give me clarity.' I see that in young adults in our church, and these men are products of that.' The sacrifices of priestly life For many of the men, priesthood means forgoing dreams of an ordinary family life. 'I thought I was going to be a great dad and have a wonderful family,' Malebranche recalled. 'And I was like, 'Lord, why would you not want that for me?'' For many, there's a grieving process in letting go of that vision, even for deeply Catholic families. 'Every parent wants grandkids,' said Banach, whose career change initially surprised his supportive Catholic parents. Priests give up biological children, he said, but are privileged to raise 'spiritual children.' His fellow ordinand Malebranche ministers to families out of what he calls a 'deep love of my own for a family.' Two weeks before ordination, Malebranche channeled that love into a baptism conducted in Spanish, the parents' native tongue. He was nervous beforehand. A gregarious, gifted speaker, he is less confident in Spanish — though it's necessary in a diocese where nearly half the parishioners are Latino . 'It was a beautiful ceremony,' Gloria Marquez told him after, beaming and holding her 9-month-old. She said she and her husband had tried for nearly 20 years to have a baby. Malebranche teared up, grateful to be part of the longed-for moment. He wants the Catholic Church to be welcoming, especially for those who have been hurt. 'I really just want to make Catholicism warm,' he said. Like all the ordinands, he is very aware that in his clerical garb, he represents the church and the presence of Jesus. 'I have to be on every time I'm in this collar,' Malebranche said. 'That is a fitting weight for the gift of the priesthood, but it is a weight nonetheless.' A new chapter Ordination-day morning had the nervous energy of a wedding, an apt parallel for the impending commitment and pageantry. Anxious parents took their places in pews alongside friends and family who traveled from around the world to witness the ceremony. The evening would bring receptions in honor of the new priests, who would then have two weeks off before their new ministry assignments began. Sampson was going to Italy with a priest friend. Banach was hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with a small kit for the Eucharist in his pack. Tuesta was flying to Lima, Peru, his birthplace, to celebrate with family. Malebranche planned to visit loved ones in his native Virginia. 'I'm kind of looking to show off,' he said, laughing. 'I'll have my confessional stole on me at all times.' When their ordination Mass got underway, it was standing room only, with more than 1,200 well-wishers crowded into the cathedral. As part of the three-hour service, nearly 200 priests lined up to embrace and welcome into the fold their new brothers, now cloaked in ivory and blue robes. At the close of Mass, they walked down the aisle to cheers and applause, and the 12 priests were sent out, like the apostles who had come before them. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. 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San Francisco Chronicle
14 hours ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
A US diocese defies trends and ordains its largest class of Catholic priests in decades
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — They are a day away from becoming Catholic priests, rehearsing for their ordination Mass under the gothic cathedral's arches. It's a balmy Friday afternoon in June, and they are practicing where to stand, when to kneel. The weekend's rituals will be the culmination of six years of seminary and a lifetime of discernment. There are so many of them — more than their diocese has ordained at one time in nearly 30 years — that it's a challenge to fit the whole group in front of the altar. Their bishop likes to call them 'the 12.' Like the 12 apostles of Jesus, their number has become a mantra and a prayer. It offers hope there can still be joy and renewal in a church riven by division, crises and abuse. Among the group there are engineers, a tech company founder and two future military chaplains. They range in age from 28 to 56. Most are U.S.-born, but some trace their roots to faraway countries with a strong Catholic presence: Cameroon, Mexico, Peru, Haiti. They are entering the priesthood at an exciting time, just as the first U.S.-born pope begins his papacy. Yet, there remains an acute shortage of clergy like them. In the U.S., the number of priests has declined by more than 40% since 1970, according to CARA, a research center affiliated with Georgetown University. During their final year of seminary, these 12 men have served as transitional deacons, offering baptisms, homilies and promising to live in obedience and celibacy. 'We've already made the promises that are, I guess, 'the scariest,'' said the Rev. Ricky Malebranche, one of the ordinands. Soon they will be entrusted with more sacraments. As ordained priests, they will work at parishes around northern Virginia, with the ability to consecrate the Eucharist, hear confessions and anoint the sick. For now, they shuffle side to side until they can fit in a row. Carefully they lie down to practice the act of prostration — arguably the most dramatic moment during an ordination ceremony. Elbows bent, hands cradling their heads, the men press their faces to the cold, marble floor. It's a position of vulnerability that signals absolute surrender. 'We're laying before the Lord,' the Rev. Mike Sampson, an ordinand, explained before the rehearsal. 'We're laying our lives down.' While neighboring dioceses have shuttered parishes and face dire budget shortfalls, the Diocese of Arlington is opening new churches. Its finances are solid. This year's class of new priests is the second largest in the diocese's 50-year history. The reasons behind that success 'are a little bit mysterious,' said the Rev. Michael Isenberg, the diocese's outgoing vocations director. He points to one factor helping the recruiting pool: vibrant parishes, full of young professionals drawn to jobs around Washington, D.C. Sampson, 42, was a government lawyer and raised a Protestant before he was baptized as a Catholic in 2013. Six years later, he enrolled in seminary to become a priest. The Rev. Tim Banach, 31, worked as a consultant in the same office complex as Sampson. 'I enjoyed the work I was doing, but there was something more that I desired." 'I had the dream job,' said the Rev. Alfredo Tuesta, 40, who earned a doctorate in engineering and was working at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory when he felt called to the priesthood. 'I had the job that I had trained many years to achieve — and it wasn't enough.' At a Sunday family dinner two weeks before ordination, Malebranche's father, Jacques, talked up these '12 great guys.' 'This kid already had two master's degrees,' he said, pointing to his son Ricky, 37, who worked as a counselor and coach at a Catholic high school before seminary. 'They had good lives. When they say they received a call, they mean it,' he said. 'They gave up a lot, and this is not easy.' A higher barrier to entry Prospective priests undergo a rigorous screening process. 'This is going to sound crazy, but they're normal,' said the Rev. Donald J. Planty Jr., who mentored several of this year's ordinands. 'They can talk to anyone.' In the wake of the clergy sex-abuse crisis, there is a greater emphasis on applicants' psychological health and emotional well-being. They go before an admissions board that includes women and laypeople, and as ordinands, meet with abuse survivors. They ultimately answer to Bishop Michael Burbidge, the diocese's avuncular prelate. 'A thing that has changed for the positive in the church is that bishops really know their men,' said Burbidge, who calls, texts and meets with seminarians regularly. 'When I was in seminary, there was no expectation that you would know the bishop.' Politically and theologically, young U.S. priests are more likely to identify as conservative or moderate than their clerical elders who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a 2023 report from the Catholic Project at Catholic University. For these men in Virginia, the rightward tilt of the U.S. Catholic Church is not a deciding factor in their priesthoods. They have pledged, though, to uphold the church's teachings, which remain conservative on issues such as gender identity, sexual orientation, contraception and abortion. 'I look at the young adults in our parishes, growing up in a world where in many ways the sacred has been removed,' Burbidge said. 'They're looking for something more. 'Give me beauty. Give me truth. Give me clarity.' I see that in young adults in our church, and these men are products of that.' The sacrifices of priestly life For many of the men, priesthood means forgoing dreams of an ordinary family life. 'I thought I was going to be a great dad and have a wonderful family,' Malebranche recalled. 'And I was like, 'Lord, why would you not want that for me?'' For many, there's a grieving process in letting go of that vision, even for deeply Catholic families. 'Every parent wants grandkids,' said Banach, whose career change initially surprised his supportive Catholic parents. Priests give up biological children, he said, but are privileged to raise 'spiritual children.' His fellow ordinand Malebranche ministers to families out of what he calls a 'deep love of my own for a family.' Two weeks before ordination, Malebranche channeled that love into a baptism conducted in Spanish, the parents' native tongue. He was nervous beforehand. A gregarious, gifted speaker, he is less confident in Spanish — though it's necessary in a diocese where nearly half the parishioners are Latino. 'It was a beautiful ceremony,' Gloria Marquez told him after, beaming and holding her 9-month-old. She said she and her husband had tried for nearly 20 years to have a baby. Malebranche teared up, grateful to be part of the longed-for moment. He wants the Catholic Church to be welcoming, especially for those who have been hurt. 'I really just want to make Catholicism warm,' he said. Like all the ordinands, he is very aware that in his clerical garb, he represents the church and the presence of Jesus. 'I have to be on every time I'm in this collar,' Malebranche said. 'That is a fitting weight for the gift of the priesthood, but it is a weight nonetheless.' A new chapter Ordination-day morning had the nervous energy of a wedding, an apt parallel for the impending commitment and pageantry. Anxious parents took their places in pews alongside friends and family who traveled from around the world to witness the ceremony. The evening would bring receptions in honor of the new priests, who would then have two weeks off before their new ministry assignments began. Sampson was going to Italy with a priest friend. Banach was hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with a small kit for the Eucharist in his pack. Tuesta was flying to Lima, Peru, his birthplace, to celebrate with family. Malebranche planned to visit loved ones in his native Virginia. 'I'm kind of looking to show off,' he said, laughing. 'I'll have my confessional stole on me at all times.' When their ordination Mass got underway, it was standing room only, with more than 1,200 well-wishers crowded into the cathedral. As part of the three-hour service, nearly 200 priests lined up to embrace and welcome into the fold their new brothers, now cloaked in ivory and blue robes. At the close of Mass, they walked down the aisle to cheers and applause, and the 12 priests were sent out, like the apostles who had come before them.
